02/21/2026
Today was HARD. And I became angry in having to hear and see what my mentee is having to navigate. I strive to support my mentees that reflect safety, support, accountability and skill-building. So let me say this:
Making harmful assumptions without doing basic, pre-emptive clarity conversations is a leadership failure. Full Stop.
Too often, the person with less positional power—especially someone from a historically marginalized identity—is told to “communicate better,” while leaders skip the very behaviors they’d demand from that person: asking questions, seeking context, and confirming understanding before drawing conclusions.
Accountability is shared. And in equity work, power holders carry more responsibility—not less.
Here’s a simple leadership standard I believe in:
If you have a concern, initiate a clarity conversation before you solidify a narrative.
Ask:
- “What happened from your perspective?”
- “What information am I missing?”
- “What outcome were you aiming for?”
- “What support would help you meet the expectation?”
Because when clarity conversations don’t happen, assumptions don’t land evenly. They can land differently across identity and power lines—and the impact can be real: reputational harm, increased scrutiny, bias, and eroded trust.
Leadership is not mind-reading. It’s meaning-making—together.
If you lead people, let’s normalize this: Clarify first. Assume less. Repair faster.
WorkplaceCulture
